Daddy Battosai
by Deception'sChosen
Summary: Kenshin and Kaoru have gotten married, now they have to deal with typical and not so typical problems. There is a new threat on the horizon, will Kenshin's beloved family survive? T for later chapters.MegSano. Yahiko?
1. Chapter 1

**Kenshin's Little Girl**

Chapter 1

Himura Kenshin waited outside of the room where Megumi was busy delivering his and Kaoru's first child, biting a thumbnail and making Yahiko and Sano seriously consider knocking the agitated man out. It would save their friend from his anxiety, and their patience wouldn't have to be so strained. They shook their heads and let the man worry all he liked while they waited.

Kenshin, to almost everybody's surprise, had been keeping his fingers crossed for a girl the whole time that his wife was pregnant. He wanted a pretty little girl he could teach to cook and do laundry, a little angel who would ride on his shoulders and call him 'daddy'. In his mind, he saw a miniature Kaoru, with his violet eyes and ready smile. He even had a name picked out for her: Kaen. Flowery Grace.

Kaoru swore up and down that she was going to have a boy, because the baby was always moving and turning. Her heart was set on a little boy who had Kenshin's bright red hair and talent for sword craft. She was stuck between two different names: Genro or Koji. Phantom Wolf or Young Victor.

After four hours of waiting, Kenshin finally call to him and tell him that he could come in. The red haired swordsman almost knocked the doctor over in his rush to get inside. He smiled at Kaoru and looked at the baby expectantly.

"Well? Is it a boy or a girl?"

Kaoru laughed at the look of delighted suspense on her husband's face. She handed him the baby, smiling as he shifted his grip to support the baby's head as if he had held thousands of babies in his lifetime.

"It's a girl."

Kaoru was a little disappointed, but also thrilled at the sight of her baby. Kenshin's face split into a grin as he looked at the little bundle in his arms. She had pale skin like her mother, and a wide forehead. A shock of red hair grew out of her scalp, and when she opened her eyes for a moment, he saw that they were brilliant purple.

_A little different than my original thought, _Kenshin mused, smiling at the baby and his wife, _but she is mine. And she is beautiful._

"What do you want to name her, Kaoru?"

Kaoru looked away slightly, her cheeks pink.

"I never thought of any girl names… I was so sure that she was going to be a boy… Do you have any names?"

Kenshin grinned and bounced into a chair.

"Yes, this one has a name for her. Kaen. This one thinks it is a suiting name, that he does."

Kaoru smiled and brushed back the baby's red hair.

"Kaen it is. Why you go show her to Sano and Yahiko? They'll love meeting her."

Just as she predicted, as soon as Kenshin walked out the door, Yahiko and Sano jumped to their feet and smiled. The red haired wanderer held the baby so they could see her and grinned.

"Yahiko, Sano… Meet Himura Kaen."


	2. Chapter 2

**Kenshin's Little Girl**

Chapter 2

Kenshin delighted in his daughter, finding joy in her every laugh, smile and blink of her wide violet eyes. When Kaoru used to nurse Kaen at night, he couldn't help but watch for at least a moment. Now the baby could eat rice gruel and boiled down fish. He would carry her into town, whistling a tune to her and occasionally spinning with her held up over his head. When Sano said that she would never learn to walk if her feet never touched the ground, he smiled.

"Then you will learn to fly then, won't you little bird?"

He spun with the child, who shrieked happily, reaching for her father with her chubby little hands. Sano had laughed, half believing that the child would sprout wings and take off as Kenshin spun her.

He did notice, however, that while Kaoru cared for the child diligently, she treated it as a job, rather than taking joy in her motherhood. She had very much desired a son, and was rather disappointed in Kaen. When Kenshin brought up the idea of teaching her to use a sword when she was older, the dark haired woman rolled her eyes and stalked out of the room with a dark look at the child. This worried Kenshin to no end, so one day while Kaoru was teaching her class in the new dojo, he slipped off with the baby to find Megumi.

He found the woman in her clinic as always, and handed Kaen over for inspection while a nurse cooed over how beautiful the baby was. He smiled and stood a little straighter when he heard the praise. Yes, his Kaen _was_ the most beautiful baby in the world, thank you very much.

When Megumi put the baby back in her sling and handed her to Kenshin, she noticed that the red haired man had something on his mind.

"Tell me what's wrong, Ken-san. Something's bothering you."

Kenshin shifted his weight from foot to foot for a minute before answering, taking Kaen from her sling and bouncing the baby, who had begun to fuss.

"It's Kaoru… This one thinks that she is disappointed in the birth of our daughter. It's like she likes Kaen, but doesn't take any joy in her. This one is always frightened when Kaen crawls off on her own, but Kaoru just doesn't seem to worry… Like she… doesn't care…"

Megumi smiled sadly, patting the baby's smooth red hair.

"It's true. Kaoru has told me that she is very disappointed in the birth of Kaen. She wanted a boy very badly, and Kaen is a daddy's girl already. She says that Kaen is happiest when you are holding her, that she feels like an intruder when she's holding her. Maybe you should have another baby. It's been a year, it would be safe."

Kenshin thought it over, and then nodded. As he walked home with the ingredients for the evening meal, Kaen napping in the sling on his back, he considered the options. If he was too up front with proposing the idea of having a second child, he may be beaten with an umbrella or worse, yet if he was too vague…

Kaoru was standing in the door of the house when they arrived. She smiled and took Kaen from her sling and tucked her into her crib, giving her cheek a gentle pat before turning to help her husband unload the groceries. She suddenly stopped moving and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Kenshin?"

"Yes? What is it Kaoru?"

The woman absently turned a radish over in her hands before answering, her voice low.

"I'm pregnant again."

"Oh! Excellent! Perhaps we will have a son this time! That would make this one very happy, that it would. And you would be pleased too, right Kaoru?"

"Yeah. Keep your fingers crossed for a boy this time, eh Kenshin?"

_That was easier than I thought it was going to be… Now I just wait for nine months and see what happens!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Kenshin's Little Girl**

Chapter 3

As Kaoru entered her fourth month of pregnancy, Kaen uttered her first words. Not long after she started talking, she was left with her 'uncle' Sano and 'cousin' Yahiko for a few hours of the afternoon. Kaoru was tired and so was Kenshin, both finally agreeing that a few hours without their daughter would be good for both of them. When Kenshin opened the door of Sano's small shack, he had no idea that his daughter would have learned a new word. The best word a baby could say if front of her father after she had been watched by his close friends the whole afternoon.

"Basta'!"

Kenshin had scooped her up and was holding her eye level when she let it fly. His eyes went wide and he tipped his head, not quite sure he had heard right.

"Yahi'o, basta'!"

Yup. He'd heard right. The red haired rounin turned a glare on Sano and Yahiko, both of whom looked away immediately. He took a slow step forward, making the rooster haired man take a step back while the short teen looked around hastily for a retreat route.

"Yahiko… How did Kaen come across that word?"

Yahiko muttered that he had gone into town at one point and had taken the little girl with him. He stopped after a moment, his eyes on his feet. Kenshin saw his young friend's cheek was scraped and he had a slight black eye, along with a swollen lip.

"You got into a fight, did you?"

"A f-fight? No, what gave you that idea?"

The words flew out of Yahiko so fast that the rounin was mildly surprised that he didn't get tongue-tied halfway through. The older man sighed and turned away, deciding that it would be a waste of energy to try to drag the whole story out of the boy.

Shifting Kaen to a more comfortable spot on his hip, he leveled another glare at the pair.

………………………………………………………………………………

(five months later)

Kaen sat on the floor of the clinic, playing quietly with a brightly painted top, occasionally looking at the door that hid her mother from sight. She would look at the door with an almost bored expression, then smile up at her father. The red haired man would give her a wan smile, then continue his worrying.

The little girl yelped in surprise when Sano's large hands wrapped around her and scooped her up onto his knee, turning the girl so she was facing him. When he smiled, she laughed and twisted herself until she saw her father's profile.

"C'mon, kid. Daddy needs to be alone for a little while. Let's get something to eat. How does grilled eel sound to you?"

Kenshin smiled at his daughter's enthusiastic reply, nodding to Sano as they left. The older man knew that Kenshin was worried, and that his temper could sometimes get the better of him when he was in this state. Kaen, with her child's impatience, had been complaining of boredom and hunger for the past two hours, and Kenshin wasn't sure what would come out of his mouth the next time she started talking.

Twenty minutes later, Kenshin looked up when he heard the cries of a baby. He was already halfway to the door when Megumi came out to fetch him. She laughed and stepped aside to let the man in.

Kaoru smiled, her face shining with sweat and pride. The redheaded man looked at the bundle in his wife's arms and nearly tripped.

Inside was a little boy with black fuzz growing out of his head, which was the size of a large apple. He looked larger that Kaen had been when she was born…

"So, Kaoru, I named our Kaen. What will you name our son?"

Kaoru smiled down at the little boy, her lips pursed in thought. Finally, she ran a hand over his tiny scalp and spoke.

"Genro. His name is Genro."

Kenshin took the baby out to show the others, smiling when Kaen and Sano came in, each holding a bowl of steaming eel. The little girl tipped her head at the baby, her nose wrinkling.

"Kaen, this is Genro. He's your little brother, little bird."

The girl sighed, then nodded at the baby, her eyes unreadable. Kenshin didn't like his daughter's silence and closed expression. He had thought his daughter would be thrilled to meet her brother… She was certainly excited when her parents told her that the baby would be coming soon. He resolved to talk to her when the two went home while Kaoru stayed the night at the clinic.

Back at their house, Kenshin sat next his daughter while they ate their dinner. He looked over and raised his eyebrows in surprise. Rather than eating with her usual gusto, she had taken only a few small bites before setting her food aside. Knowing that Kaen was never one to turn down food, he began to feel worry worming it's way into his heart.

"Is there something wrong with your food, little bird?"

Kaen shook her head, then looked up at her father with the most serious expression he had ever seen on the girl's face.

"Will Genro… Take my place?"

"Oro? What do you mean? This one doesn't understand what you're asking."

The little girl stood, picking up her bowl and setting it in the kitchen, where she knew her father would pick it up. When she came back, she wouldn't look at him when she spoke, preferring to talk to her feet.

"Genro's a boy. You'll love him more than me, won't you? I know Mama does, but… so will you."

Oh, so _that_ was what was bothering her. She thought that the arrival of a son would take his affection away from her entirely. He smiled and pulled her onto his lap, snuffling her ear, making her shriek. The girl was so ticklish, he was surprised that her mother and he could bathe her without causing a fit of laughter.

Turning serious, he looked her in the eyes, violet meeting violet, and smiled.

"If I tell you a secret, will you promise not to tell anybody?"

The girl nodded, her smile creeping back onto her face. Kenshin leaned slightly and whispered in her little ear.

"Even though Genro is a boy, _you're_ my favorite. You're my little bird, right?"

He sat up again, smiling at his daughter while she thought on what he had said. Keeping silent, she made a twisting motion with her hand in front of her tiny mouth, as if turning a key in a lock. He smiled and nodded.

"Now, little bird, it's time for you to go to bed."

"Awwww, Da-aaddy!"

He laughed, then helped her change into her sleeping clothes, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before closing the door behind him as he left her room. He knew that she would grow to love her little brother, and whatever siblings happened to come along after.


	4. Chapter 4

**Kenshin's Little Girl**

Chapter 4

Kaen smiled into her pillow as she listened to the door to her room slowly slide open. Three heads, all with black hair, poked in to check that she had not woke up when they had opened the door. Three boys, one long and gangly of about eleven, the next with the long lithe body of a dancer of about nine, the last was a chubby six year old with glinting violet eyes, crept into the room. Each boy held a pail of cold water in their hands, tiptoeing closer to Kaen's bed.

When the boys were a foot from her bed, Kaen leapt up, practice sword in hand. She shouted for the boys to get out of her room, screaming threats of gruesome punishments for when she caught them. As the boys ran, she chased after them, her long red hair trailing behind her. She finally caught up to them in the bathhouse, taking slow steps toward the boys who feigned terror. As Kaen raised the sword, grinning, and all three boys flung the water at her.

They turned when they heard laughter from the door. Kaen turned slowly, her wet hair sticking to her face, to face the one who dared laugh.

"I believe your brothers win this time, little bird."

Kaen spit out a strand of hair and turned on her heel, glaring at the boys. The eldest, Genro, laughed and walked past his sister without saying a word. The middle boy, Ken, bowed to his sister, wishing her a happy birthday before zipping past. The third, Asuma, smiled, revealing a gap where a tooth was missing and repeated Ken's actions.

"Yeah, whatever. Get outta here, runt."

She ruffled his hair as he passed, smiling. She turned to her father and bowed.

"You gave them a good run, that you did."

Kaen shrugged and coughed violently, putting a hand to her chest. When she couldn't stop coughing, her father put a steadying hand on her shoulder. She had been developing a cough for three weeks now, and her face was permanently pink, like she was hot. She never would let her mother or father check if she had a fever though, insisting that it was just a cold. The longer she was sick, the more Kenshin worried. She had lost nearly fifteen pounds and didn't eat much at meals, saying that she just wasn't hungry.

"Kaen, before you take your bath, come here. I have an extra gift for you. Your mother said that I shouldn't get it for you, but I thought that for your thirteenth birthday, you deserved it. Especially with your brothers."

She smiled and turned away as they walked to spit into the grass, grimacing. Kenshin noticed that when she spat, the stuff was pink.

"Thanks in advance, Daddy. Are we cooking for everybody again today, or are we going out?"

"I thought we could go out for dinner. We'll make breakfast after you bathe."

He had his daughter close her eyes and sit down while he went to get the special gift. He put a small box in her arms and bid her open her eyes. She looked down and carefully lifted the lid, her face splitting into a grin when she saw what was inside. A cat, just out of kitten hood, jumped out and sat in her lap. He was orange and white with long fur and bright yellow eyes as round as coins.

"He's beautiful! Oh, thank you Daddy!"

Holding the cat in the crook of her arm, she jumped up and hugged her father, squealing happily. Halfway through her thanks, she held the cat out to her father, holding coughs in. He took it as she doubled over; coughing so hard that she could hardly draw breath, saliva and mucus rolled out of her mouth as she tried to turn away from her father. This time there was no mistaking it, there was blood mixed in with everything that she coughed up.

Kenshin scooped up his daughter, tucking the cat into the front of her robe, and ran toward home. When he got there, he set her on the porch and put a hand on her sweaty forehead. He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt how hot she was. He picked her up again and took her into the bathhouse, knowing the water was still very cool.

Kaen tried to squirm out of his grasp when he started to take her robe off, but he just gave her earlobe a quick sharp pull, something he _very_ rarely did; her mother was the main force of discipline in their house, and continued to pull the robe off. When she was naked, he pushed her into the water. He knew that she would no doubt be very angry with him later, but he had to bring that fever down. As Kaen fought weakly to get out of the water, complaining about how cold it was, Kenshin noticed how boney she had become.

"I'm sorry, little bird, but you have to get cooler. If you don't, you'll cook!"

He saw the glare she aimed at him, and continued to pour the cool water over her head. After getting her to promise to stay in the water, he rushed out to find Kaoru in the dojo with their sons, going through drills. He strode past the three boys, his eyes full of worry locked on his wife.

"Kenshin? What's wrong?"

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the bathhouse as he told her what happened. Kaoru's face paled and she quickened her step, her face a cool mask. She charged in, Genro, Ken and Asuma right behind her, ordering her daughter to get out of the tub and helped her put a robe on. When she turned to the boys, Kenshin caught his daughter and lifted her into his arms.

Kaoru took on her tough mother voice as she addressed her sons.

"Genro, you make some willow bark tea for your sister's fever. Ken, you're the fastest, you go get Megumi. Asuma… Pick up your sister's clothes. What is a cat doing in here?"

"It's part of Kaen's birthday gift. I'll get her to her room."

The family split up, Kaoru going to get Yahiko and Sano. The two men were horrified when they heard that Kaen's "cold" had taken this nasty turn and rushed after her as she ran toward the house.

When they got back, Kenshin was dashing from the closet with an armload of blankets.

"She got cold. She can't warm up, she says. I have no idea what's wrong with her! She says that it hurts to breathe, but she doesn't hurt when she moves, so it can't be flu. _Where the __hell__ are Ken and Megumi_?!"

Kaoru's eyebrows shot up. She had never seen him so wound up over a sickness, not even when she had come down with the flu last year, then had to help take care of four children and one husband as they all caught the bug. She looked at Kaen as Kenshin piled blankets over her. The teen's usual peaches and cream complexion had turned the color of three day old sashimi and was alternately sweating and shivering from cold. Even her usually ruby lips were ashen, making her look more like a corpse than either of her parents cared to admit.

Suddenly there was a crash and Megumi came skidding into the room, Ken standing in the doorway. He moved aside as Genro came in with a steaming cup of bitter willow bark tea, grimacing at the smell.

Kneeling next to the girl and using her sleeve to protect her face, Megumi began to examine the girl. When Kenshin kept telling her what had happened that day, repeating himself often and going off on random tangents, Megumi ordered the whole family out of the room. As she examined her, Kaen was wracked with violent coughing spasms, bringing up bloody discharge. Megumi leaned in close to the girl's chest, putting her ear against her skin and listened to the sound of her breathing. Her lungs were full of a loud crackling whenever she inhaled.

When she finished with Kaen, she walked out and looked at the family. Sano was nervously chewing on a fish bone, Yahiko was tugging on his earlobe and Kenshin was leaning in the corner furthest from the door that hid his daughter, his eyes closed and hands clasped in front of his face, praying. The only one close enough to hear him was Sano.

"Please, _please_ Kami-sama; don't take Kaen away from us… From me… I'll do anything you ask. I'll cut out my tongue and gouge out my eyes to live my life unable to fight or speak again… Don't take her from me, please… I don't know what we would do without her…"

He had been repeating the prayer the whole half hour that they had been locked out of the room and hadn't noticed the tall woman come out. Kaen's younger brothers sat in a huddle, looking from their mother to their father then to Megumi. Kauru chewed a fingernail as the beautiful doctor took a few steps away from the door, listening to the jarring coughs coming from within. Megumi beckoned Kenshin forward, putting a hand on Kaoru's shoulder.

As she started to speak, tears built up in her eyes. She loved the girl like a niece, but she knew the pain that she was feeling was going to be a pale shadow compared to what Kaen's parents were about to feel.

"I've noticed that there is a lot of this going around in the city… The only advice I can give you is…" she swallowed hard, closing her eyes before going on "…is to call a priest. Say goodbye and prepare a funeral for her."

As she spoke, Kenshin's face went as white as a sheet and he seemed to struggle for breath. Kaoru went pale too, but her stoic mask was so firmly in place that her face showed no emotion. Sano shakily tapped the doctor's arm to get her attention.

"You said you've seen it before… People _have_ lived through it, right?"

Megumi nodded sadly, but Sano felt a chill as she spoke.

"Out of every ten or so patients, maybe three survive. _Maybe._ And after, they get sick with something else… A cold, an infected cut, the flu… And their bodies are so weak that they die from that."

Yahiko sat down hard, a hand over his eyes. He had always thought of Kaen as a little sister. Hell, he had taught her her very first curse word. It was an accident, sure, but it was still something _he_ had taught her. Suddenly he chuckled, making the others turn their heads to stare at him as he laughed a little harder.

"I was just thinking… I taught her the very first swear word that ever came out of her mouth…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Kenshin's Little Girl**

Chapter 5

After Megumi gave Kaen something to make her sleep and Sano had run out to pick up boxed dinners for the whole group, the adults sat together while the three Himura boys went to bed. Sano had tried to remember everybody's food favorites, but found that the only one that he could think of was Kaen's favorite. Grilled eel and squid, with a piece of candied ginger buried under her rice…

They all looked at each other for a moment, none sure what they should say, then Yahiko chuckled again.

"Remember that time that Kaen tried to make the rice cook faster by adding so much wood under the pot that the fire got so big nobody could reach in to get the pot?"

Sano half smiled, nodding at the memory. She had been seven, and had convinced Genro that their parents would like the idea that dinner was ready when they got back. The rice had been so badly burned that Kenshin just threw the pot away after trying to get all the burned grains out and failing miserably. Kaoru smirked as she remembered the look on her husband's face when he said that he was impressed that she had done all this without hurting herself.

Everybody chuckled slightly, then quieted. They went around, each telling another amusing or sweet story about Kaen and her exploits. Topics were varied from a time that she beat up a boy for calling her younger brother a crybaby to when she tried to act as a go-between for a prostitute and a noble who had fallen in love.

Kenshin's turn was more somber. He pulled out a folded piece of paper and read what was on it to himself, his eyes filling.

"Whatcha got Kenshin?"

"A song she wrote. She said that she would sing it at my funeral… But I may be attending hers… My poor little bird…"

He held out the paper to Sano, asking him to read it aloud.

The Old Man

The tears have all been shed now  
We've said our last goodbyes  
His soul's been blessed  
He's laid to rest  
And its now I feel alone  
He was more than just a father  
A teacher my best friend  
He can still be heard  
In the tunes we shared  
When we play them on our own

I never will forget him  
For he made me what I am  
Though he may be gone  
Memories linger on  
And I miss him, the old man

As a girl he'd take me walking  
By mountain field and stream  
And he showed me things  
Not known to kings  
And secret between him and me  
Like the colours of the pheasant  
As he rises in the dawn  
And how to fish and make a wish  
Beside the holly tree 

I never will forget him  
For he made me what I am  
Though he may be gone  
Memories linger on  
And I miss him, the old man

I thought he'd live forever  
He seemed so big and strong  
But the minutes fly  
And the years roll by  
For a father and a son  
And suddenly when it happened  
There was so much left unsaid  
No second chance  
To tell him thanks  
For everything he's done

I never will forget him  
For he made me what I am  
Though he may be gone  
Memories linger on  
And I miss him, the old man

By the end of the poem, everybody in the room, even Kaoru, had tears rolling down their faces. Megumi sighed and leaned against Sano, whispering just loud enough to be heard by everybody.

"We'll have to go into the city tomorrow to tell her friends and teachers… She had…" she shook her head "_has_ so many friends. From nobles to farmers to prostitutes. She…"

Kenshin sniffed and looked over at the door to his daughter's room.

"She believes everybody has something to give. Ideas, advice, an ear to listen… She loves people…"

They all nodded and spread out, preparing to sleep on the floor. Kaoru, but not the others, was surprised when Kenshin took a blanket into Kaen's room, leaving the door ajar. He would spend the night next to his little bird, holding her hand and making sure that she didn't choke on the phlegm she coughed up. They could hear him as he whispered in the night.

"You need to heal, little bird. What do you expect us to do without you?"

A/N : I know that it sounded wierd to have everybody telling funny stories and have them (kinda) laughing, but I'm going off what I know. That happens to be how I mourn. I think of all the good things, that way, I can forget any bad things that may have gone with them. Laughter helps you heal, you know. Proven true.

Thank you for the reviews! Keep 'em coming! Tell your friends!

Okay, yeah… Shutting up now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Kenshin's Little Girl**

Chapter 6

About a week later…

Kenshin sat beside his daughter, looking at her flushed face, remembering all the things she used to say and do. Her wild spinning dances, singing at the top of her lungs and spinning in a circle with her head thrown back.

(Flashback)

_Kaen flew out of her dark room, screaming, her purple eyes wide with fear. She slammed into him, knocking him off balance, sending both of them crashing into the wall._

_"Kaen, what's wrong? What happened?"_

_His seven year old looked up at him with tears in her eyes and pointed toward her room._

_"Uncle Sano… He said that there were demons living in the well outside, and they eat girls!"_

_Kenshin sighed and stood up, taking her hand and leading her back into her room and pointing out the window to the dark shadow that was the well._

_"He said there were demons?"_

_"Uh-huh."_

_"Well, where is the proof that they have been sniffing around your window?"_

_Kaen leaned out the window and pointed to a stain that was shaped eerily, Kenshin had to admit that it __was__ oddly shaped, like a hand. He inspected the stain, scratching his chin and chewing his lip in thought. Suddenly, an idea struck him._

_"Oh! I know what this is! It's your guardian Kami who made this mark. She put her hand there to keep away the demons. And as for the demons in the well… They're scared of me."_

_"They are?"_

_Kenshin nodded as Kaen climbed under her blankets, her big eyes shining in the dark._

_"Oh, yes. Between your mother and I, the demons are too scared to come out. So you will never have to worry about them."_

_"But what about when you're not home?"_

_"Hm… You have a point. I'll tell you what. I'll make a charm and tie it to the well, that way they will see it and not come out."_

_"Promise?"_

_He leaned down and hooked her pinky finger with his, smiling._

_"Promise."_

_That night, he took a heavy cord and tied a small bell and some of his hair onto it, then attached it to the well. Kaen never feared the demons in the well again._

(End flashback)

Kenshin glanced out the window at the old well that he knew still scared Kaen, even though she never admitted it. He knew, because every time she had to draw water, when she took the lid off, she would stand as far back as she could, then as she left, she would watch over her shoulder. He never understood her phobia of the well, of wells in general, but he had also never understood Kaoru's fear of spiders either.

"Daddy?"

His head whipped around so fast that he winced, drawing a shallow laugh from his daughter. He smiled and touched her forehead, happy that her fever was down a little. She jerked, her cheeks puffing out as she tried to hold in her loud coughs. Putting a hand under her shoulders, he lifted her until she was sitting up and held a cloth in front of her mouth as she coughed. She snatched the cloth from his hand and turned away from him.

"Kaen?"

As she coughed, she managed to choke out a few words.

"Don't… you'll get… sick…"

He swatted her shoulder as a reprimand and sat in front of her, trying to see what she coughed up.

"What? It's gross, Daddy."

"Let me see, I want to know if it's worse."

She groaned and held out the cloth, which had been a square of yellow dyed cotton, not looking at it. When Kenshin glanced at it and saw it stained so darkly red that it was almost purple, he almost fainted.

"I told you it was gross…" her voice trailed off as she turned her head and looked out the window toward the well. "I heard what Megumi said. I…"

She let her hair fall forward to cover her eyes when she felt tears stinging her eyes.

"Kaen, how could you hear? We were so quiet…"

"I heard. I just did. What… what happens when we die? What'll happen when I die?"

Kenshin sighed, not sure how to answer the question that had been troubling his daughter. He felt a slight twinge of pride to see that she was not shrinking away from the fate that Megumi had described, but was standing tall, looking her fate in the face and accepting it for what it was.

"You? When you die, you will be old and grey, this one hopes. However, if you were to die tomorrow… You would be well. You would have none of this sickness, you would be able to take your rest under the oak trees you so love. There would no doubt be animals everywhere in your Paradise, and lots of good food. And you would have a special place to sit and watch over us here, close to the Buddha."

Kaen smiled at the thought of a beautiful place where she would never feel pain again, full of things she loved, but something was missing in her picture…

"What about all of you? We'll all go to the same place, won't we?"

"With this one's past, little bird, who can say?"

Kaen's eyebrows came together in displeasure as she contemplated the afterlife and what it would be like without her family. Where would she be without her cheerful father? Without her overbearing, slightly crazy mother? And what about Genro, Ken and Asuma? They did almost everything together, what would become of them if she died? Then there was Sano, Yahiko and Megumi to think about…

She smiled at her father and rapped her knuckles against her knee before speaking.

"Then I just won't die yet. I'll fight so hard against it that Death itself will fear me… And if I do die… I'll make sure you can all be there someday."

Kenshin helped his daughter lay down again after she cleaned out her mouth, smiling at the girl who had wrapped him so tightly around her finger. Her fever was starting to come back, so he quietly went for her willow tea. He liked her idea of fighting, he expected nothing less from her, but still began to steel himself for the blow that Megumi warned was coming.


	7. Chapter 7

**Kenshin's Little Girl**

Chapter 7

Three days later…

Kenshin woke up at dawn when he heard a horrible gagging and rasping coming from under the quilts of his daughter's futon. When he ripped back the blankets, he almost fainted.

Kaen's face was an almost uniform white, dark blood and vomit covered the bedding under her and the blanket that had covered her. Kenshin kicked himself for sleeping so soundly, trying to turn his shuddering daughter's head so he could see more of her face. Her eyes were wide open, the pupils dilated, and she was panting. A wave of panic crashed into his brain and he shouted for Megumi and Kaoru.

The doctor took one look at the girl and rushed to get the medicines that she had left in the foyer while Kaoru took the bedding and blankets outside, putting tinder and a splash of sake on the lump of cloth, then lit them on fire.

Kenshin held Kaen's rigid body in his arms, giving her a shake every now and then, calling to her. When Megumi got back, she managed to push some medicine into the girl's mouth, but Kaen could hardly swallow. She knew that Kaen couldn't see or hear anything in her state, but spoke to her anyway as her father left the room to fetch the other doctor from the city. Sano and Yahiko were sent to the boy's room to make sure they didn't come down while all the events unfolded.

"Your father will be back soon, Kaen. How about I tell you a story while we wait for the medicine to take effect? Once, I was attacked by an enormously fat man that had an oil bag in his stomach and had false teeth made of flint, which let him breathe fire. Your father spun his sword so fast in front of himself so fast that the flames couldn't touch him. After that attack, the man's oil was out, and your father stepped back while he was refilling and Sano stepped up just as he finished. When he breathed fire again, Sano jumped right into the fire, reached into the brute's mouth and hauled the bag out of his stomach and kicked him so hard in the face that the man fell right over in a faint! Couldn't you see those two doing that?"

Megumi smiled and brushed Kaen's hair back from her face, which was still white and sweaty. Leaning in close to her ear, she whispered to the teen.

"You can't die. Not now. Fight a little longer, Kaen. At least wait for your father to get here. And Kaoru."

"I'm already here. I'm right here Kaen…"

Kaoru sat down and touched her eldest child's face, her eyes bright with unshed tears. Kaen's hand twitched as if in response to her mother's presence.

"That's right, Kaen. I'm right here. Don't go yet…"

Kenshin came bursting through the door a minute later, doctor in tow and covered with sweat.

"We're here!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Kenshin's Little Girl**

Chapter 8

Kaen's eyes were not so wide now, but her pupils were dilated still and her breathing had gotten even more labored during the wait. Even as the doctor was pushed into the room, he knew what the outcome would be. This disease was merciless, destroying all that came into its path.

He watched as Kenshin seated himself next to his wife, then cleared his throat.

"I think you need to say your goodbyes. She isn't going to be able to fight her way back from where she is now."

Megumi turned her head toward the older man and asked him to tell Sano and have them all come into the room.

When everybody was seated and Kaen was wrapped in a fresh quilt, Sano spoke up.

"I was gonna give you this the other day at the restaurant for you birthday, but I never got the chance. I knew how much you like cats, so I…" he cleared his throat gruffly as his voice hitched "I got you this."

He reached behind him and pulled an ornately carved wooden cat figure, painted all with pinks, purples and yellows, setting it gently by her.

Yahiko swallowed hard, scooting a little closer to Kaen.

"I just… You're all right, kid."

He looked away, unable to say anything more.

Megumi simply touched the girl's damp red hair and smiled sadly while tears rolled down her face.

All three of Kaen's brothers were shaking, terrified of the shadow that hung in the air around them. Finally, Genro spoke up for all three of them.

"We're sorry, Kaen. For all the pranks and trouble we gave you. We just did all that stuff because we wanted you to know how we love you…"

He held his breath for a moment, waiting for his sister to spring up shouting like she always had in the past. All three actually prayed for her to get up and deliver the beatings she was always threatening them with, because that would mean that life was back to the way it should be, but she didn't even twitch.

Kaoru, who never kissed any of her children after they turned five, leaned forward and kissed her firstborn's forehead, stroking her pale cheek with a finger when she pulled back.

Kenshin seemed to be in a daze at first, but came out of it when Kaoru looked at him. He picked up her thin hand and rubbed it, smiling his cheery smile even while tears ran unchecked down his cheeks. His voice hitched when he spoke, but he didn't stop to clear his throat, knowing he didn't have much time.

"This one loves you dearly, Kaen. You don't have to fight anymore, sweetheart. You can go. Go to that place you dreamed about, with the animals and trees and all those things you love. Don't suffer anymore for us, little bird. We'll all be together again someday…"

He held her hand tightly for a few more moments, when he felt her hand tighten for a moment, then relax. The lines of her face smoothed out, making her look like she was quietly contemplating the ceiling above her. Her last breath came out in a soft sigh; freedom had finally come for his little bird.

The great Battosai wept openly then, for the first time in many years. The feared manslayer keened over his daughter's body, refusing to leave it that whole day, keeping his vigil long into the night…


	9. Chapter 9

**Oops!!!**

**Sorry everybody! The chapter nine of this story was posted by my cousin! There is another version of the chapter, and he posted this one by mistake. I wrote the previous one when I was on a very bad mood. Sorry for the mistake! You may stone me if you wish… sniff**

**Last time I let **_**him**_** post for me…**

**I'll get the real chapter up soon!**


	10. Chapter 9 for real this time!

**Kenshin's Little Girl**

Chapter 9

(Kenshin's POV)

The day of your funeral, Kaen, seemed to pass in black and white. There were many people there, as we all knew there would be. Your childhood friend, Jin, got home today and came to visit you. He hadn't been home long enough to hear the news of your death, so he came bursting through the door like he always does, shouting your name. To tell you the truth, little bird, I always thought the two of you would get married. You were always together, and seemed to be so well in tune…

Your mother cried. Did you see? She sat down in your room where your futon is, picked up one of your old hair ribbons and cried. I know she never showed it very well, but she did love you, in her own way. We tried to clean out your room, but then sat together remembering things that happened.

Your poor brothers…

Asuma swears he sees you wandering around outside. Your mother and I tell him that you're in a better place, but I sometimes see you too. Just flashes from the corner of my eye. Sometimes you're a child, other times you're thirteen. I know that I should ignore it, let you go, but it is hard. As I told you when you were so small on the day your brother Genro was born, you are my favorite.

There are times that I go to look in your room, expecting to see you sitting on the floor with your inkbrush or playing with one of your games. You always could beat me at chess.

Sano and Megumi are talking about getting married. I thought that they would have gotten married a long time ago… But oh well.

I feel like the air around me weighs a thousand pounds… I find myself looking out the window, thinking of open roads and fields. I know I can't leave my family, but it is so hard to think of reasons to stay right now.

Little bird… Little Kaen… I don't understand what's happening today, everything is all a blur. All I can see is a happy child, the sweet little bird you were, Kaen. Little bird, little Kaen, you always were such a pretty little thing… Gentle and kind and affectionate, what a sweet little bird you were, Kaen…

More and more foreigners are arriving every day. They talk so rapidly that even if they speak Japanese, it comes out jumbled. You would have liked the English men that I met today. They had pale hair and round blue eyes, wearing closefitting clothes and leather shoes that laced up to their ankles… One tried to buy my sword from me, and I had to explain that it was a rude thing to ask. He seemed to understand eventually. I ran into another in the temple when I was there to light incense for you, and he asked me to explain how our prayers went and who I was praying for. I think he would have made you laugh. He asked questions like Asuma does, one right after another.

I got a letter from Tokyo the other day. There is some trouble brewing, and I was asked to come and help put the rebellion down. I'll take Yahiko with me.

Watch over your mother and brothers while I'm away.


	11. Chapter 10

**Kenshin's Little Girl**

Chapter 10

Kenshin and Yahiko rode in a carriage across from each other, neither speaking. The dark haired man occasionally would look over at his older companion as if to speak, but when Kenshin would look at him, he would turn his face away.

"You have a question in your eyes, Yahiko. What is it?"

Yahiko sat silently for a few minutes before looking up into Kenshin's eyes. His brown eyes were hard, almost cold and angry.

"Why did you agree to go to Tokyo? Kaoru and your sons need you right now, and you need them. You may not look it, but you're getting old Kenshin! You might be just slow enough to be hit."

Kenshin smiled slightly and rested his chin on his fist as he looked out the window.

"Why did I agree to go? I'm not entirely sure. I have to get things straight in my head, and people need help. I guess that is why."

"Kaoru says she's seen you looking out windows and just staring down the road. She doesn't come out and say it, but I think she's afraid you'll just walk away and start wandering again…"

Kenshin looked over at his friend, noticing that now his eyes were slightly sad now. He opened his mouth to answer when Yahiko started to talk again.

"Please don't leave them. We all loved her Kenshin…"

The redhead's lips pressed into a thin line and his eyes seemed to narrow slightly when he answered.

"What do you take me for, Yahiko? Yes, I have had the thought of wandering, but I would never act on it." He took a small silk bag from inside his kimono, turning it over in his hands a few times before tucking it back into it's hiding place. "It would take death to make me stay away from them."

Yahiko smiled and leaned back in a more comfortable position.

"I know. It's just that… I know how much she ment to you."

Kenshin smiled and nodded, looking around when he heard voices and wheels rumbling along the street.

"We must be close."

"Sure sounds like it."

The carriage stopped and both men stepped out, brushing their hands on the front of their hakama. Both froze as a group of young students walked by in western style clothes. The students looked at them and kept going, not sparing them even a nod. Kenshin felt Yahiko's agitation at the young men.

"How rude! They don't have to bow to me, but you're their senior!"

Kenshin assured his younger friend that there was no need for such indignation, suggesting they get to their employer's home as quickly as possible.

When they arrived, a maid led them into an open room decorated with western furniture and a few rugs. Both men looked at the chairs and decided to stand. Sitting anywhere but the floor just seemed too strange to them.

Kenshin looked out the window and saw a few children outside in western clothes, playing at being samurai. A wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows as he spoke quietly to Yahiko.

"This one _must_ be old… Even at home people are wearing western clothes…"

Yahiko nodded and the door opened to reveal a skinny man with a neatly trimmed beard. The man stepped inside and bowed to the two, who bowed back.

"You needed help with some riots?"

The man nodded and told them that there were three men that had a group of followers that were constantly causing trouble. Setting fire to docked ships, teahouses that sold to foreigners and any shops that sold western goods. They even went so far as to destroy the homes that foreigners built for their families to live in. They've killed five people this week."

"Do you know the reason that they are doing this?"

"The one we managed to catch said that Japan should be only for the Japanese. We managed to get the location of their headquarters. It's an old cathouse on the edge of the farmland just to the north. Take out the leaders and arrest them, and the group should fall apart."

Kenshin and Yahiko nodded and bowed before leaving.

"I don't think I like the idea of going after these people. Japan _is_ getting a little too… western."

"I agree, but they are going about this the wrong way. We need to stop them before they hurt any more innocent people."

"You're right. Let's go then."


	12. Chapter 11

**Kenshin's Little Girl**

Chapter 11

Kenshin and Yahiko stood in the shadows in front of the whore house, watching the guards pace back and forth in their rounds.

"At the next whistle, Yahiko. I will go right for the door, and you will stay behind me to make sure we don't get attacked from behind. Got it?"

Yahiko nodded and shifted the sword at his hip to a more comfortable position, standing so that he could get a good burst of speed when the whistle sounded. He hoped that the guards were as stupid as they looked, otherwise there would be trouble.

The whistle cut through the quiet night and the two men took off for the door. One guard caught sight of the pair and came roaring after them, a gun leveled at Yahiko's back. The younger man halted suddenly and spun, striking the gunner with the flat of his blade in the face. Before the man had hit the ground in a heap, the dark haired man had caught up with his partner and was keeping his eyes open for attack.

"They were all wearing yellow. Didn't the police say that the leaders wore red?"

"Yes. Please don't talk to me right now, Yahiko."

Yahiko noticed that even though the older man was in better shape than most twenty year old men, the redhead was beginning to grow short of breath as they ran through the halls.

The place was a maze, rooms that had no windows and two doors, then the doors that looked like a part of the wall. Yahiko growled in irritation.

"Damnit! Where are they hiding?!"

Kenshin halted, turning to a panel of wood that looked like yet another false door and gave it a push. To his and Yahiko's surprise, it swung open to reveal two men and one woman dressed in red. The woman stood, drawing a knife and throwing it at Yahiko. The knife stopped a centimeter away from the man's face, then snapped back into the woman's hand. The other two drew swords, approaching the two who had burst in on them.

Yahiko jumped forward to meet their charge, his eyes fixed on the largest man. He noted that the woman was backing away from the fight and let himself not think about her too much. His redheaded companion looked over at the woman and took off after her as she hauled her hand back for another attack with her sling knife.

As the knife whizzed toward Kenshin's face, he brought his sword up, catching the knife under the hilt and sending it into a crazy upward spin. The woman swore in an unusually deep voice and pulled the weapon back to her with a flick of her wrist. The older man brought his blade crashing down toward her head, but she stepped back and the weapon caught in her robe, tearing it open all the way to her hip.

Yahiko's sword slammed into his opponent's face with a loud snap, the man's eyes rolling back in his head as his cheekbone and jaw were broken. He turned in time to see that Kenshin's opponent, rather than being a deep voiced woman, was actually a high voiced feminine man. Yahiko paid for his lapse in concentration with a painful slash to his right shoulder from the other man he had been fighting. The bearded brute shouted to his companion, his voice grating out of his throat.

"Get out of here, Chou! They can't stop our followers if there is still at least one of us still alive and free!"

The smaller man who was thought to be a woman, Chou, spun and ran out through yet another secret door, his long kimono flying behind him.

"Kenshin! You stop him, I've got this one!"

Kenshin nodded, dashing through the door and following the red train of fabric as it whipped around a corner. When they reached a long stretch of straight hallway, Kenshin put on a burst of speed and managed to stab his blade through the train of the kimono and into the floor. The thin man was jerked back and landed with a thud on his backside, barely getting the chance to stand before the redhead had pulled his sword free and pointed it at him.

"Please, Chou, come with me. This one abhors violence, and will see that none harm you if you follow me now."

The man shook his head and let his knife slide from inside his sleeve to his hand. The cool flexible wire that was attached to a leather band below his elbow began to uncoil as he prepared to attack. Then he paused, as if he was considering the older man's offer, slowly easing a phial full of black liquid into his other hand. _I need him to be closer…_

"If I come with you, do you think they will believe me if I told them that I was forced to do all this?"

"That depends. Is it the truth?"

Tears in his eyes, Chou stepped forward, lowering his weapon and holding his hands in front of him, much like a woman would.

"Yes… I've been too scared to run away…"

Kenshin smiled and walked up beside the tearful man and patted his arm.

"This one understands being afraid and being unable to leave. Come on, we'll get this one's companion, then leave."

Chou smiled, taking hold of the red haired man's wrist, then his eyes went cold and hard.

"It's a shame. You seem very kind."


	13. Chapter 12

**Kenshin's Little Girl**

Chapter 12

Kenshin heard the man speak and tried to jump back, but Chou's grip was stronger than he expected. He managed to shake off his hand just as a bright stab of pain exploded from his side, just above his seventh rib. The man smiled when the red haired man skipped back, a hand covering the bloody slash.

"I really _am_ sorry to do that."

Kenshin felt the wound go cold and he raised his sword, his eyes set in a glare. He knew that he was poisoned, and he was going to make sure that Yahiko wouldn't have to fight this man. He saw the knife come flying toward him and blocked it, wrapping the wire around the blade of his weapon and smiling when he heard Chou yelp. He gave a mighty pull and heard tearing leather, feeling his sword come back easily.

Suddenly, the room seemed to spin and tilt wildly. Kenshin tipped to one side, reaching out and catching himself on a small table. When the world came back into focus, he stood. Chou seemed surprised, and raised his knife. Nobody had lasted this long against his special poison before, and it scared him.

Kenshin dashed forward and slashed at the other man, too slow! Chou sidestepped and kicked back, catching Kenshin in the kidney. He stumbled, but did not fall.

"WHY WON'T YOU _DIE_?!"

Chou ran at the man just as Kenshin raised his sword, impaling himself on the blade.

"Ah? How…?"

Kenshin let go of the blade, letting Chou's body drop to the floor. When he looked up, he heard a familiar laugh. His blood felt icy cold… He turned to see Kaen, round faced and smiling, standing near him. She shook back her hair and watched as her father struggled to stay standing.

"Kaen? But… But you died…"

She smiled and nodded, but said nothing.

"Can you talk to me?"

She shook her head with a smile, then tapped the place over her heart. She reached forward and touched the place over her father's heard. Kenshin nodded, understanding.

"Not until I die too, eh?"

Another nod.

"Well, little bird, that won't be long will it?"

Kaen shook her head sadly. She knew her father was dying. That was why she was here, after all.

"Is Yahiko alright?"

She nodded, her smile falling as Kenshin lost his footing and sat on the floor to lean against the wall. Kenshin smiled.

"Good. He will help care for your mother and brothers…"

He drew a shaky breath, hearing faint music. He suddenly felt light and stood up again, smiling when Kaen held out her hand.

"Are you ready Daddy?"

He looked around, seeing they were both glowing faintly, then nodded. Kaen smiled as they turned toward a door that had not been there before.

"Let's go then."

He took her hand and they stepped through the door together just as Yahiko entered the room.

_Goodbye Kaoru, Sano, Yahiko. I'm sorry…_

The End

A/N

Hey everybody. Thanks for reading. I have this idea that when you die, a loved one comes to get you, so you don't have to be alone or get lost. I will be writing a sequel about the three brothers, Genro, Ken and Asuma, after the deaths of their father and sister. I also have a story that stars Kaen and co. that is a happier story. Hopefully it won't turn sad.

Hope you all liked the story.

Arigato.

Deception'sChosen


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